Hi all

I'm looking to adopt another cat after losing my beloved Suschi just over 2weeks ago, i know many may thing it's too soon but i'd just love to help another cat. Not wanting to get another cat to replace her cause no cat will ever replace her and in my heart she will always stay, but id like to help these cats out and give them a loving home. We've adopted a cat from the Cats Protection before about 6yrs ago but i think the process has changed since then. At the time, we went to the foster home where the cat was staying, decided we wanted her and a few days later we picked her up. About 2/3weeks later a lady from the cats protection visted to see how the cat, Shelly was getting on.

Now im most sure it's changed, cause i've seen a cat that me and my family like, we contacted the branch, gave all my details and someone will contact us within the next few days to arrange a home vist.

If someone has adopted from the Cats Protection recently can you explain how the process works now???? And how long does it take for them to contact you back? Also does it differ for each branch?? I live in Bedford and this cat i've seen is in Rushden.

Help anyone..????

We adopted two cats from the cat protection league. With Sunday they gave us a home visit, checked the house and garden, OKed it and then we went to pick her up the next day. With Dixie we went to visit the foster home, chose him, and bought him back with us. It varies from area to area depending on their resources, but they do prefer home visits when possible.

As soon as you are cleared by the home visitor you should be able to pick up a new kitty whenever is convenient for you. If s/he needs any vaccines or medical treatment there could be a delay.

They can be hopelessly disorganised, it's a trait very common among animal rescuers. Don't sit back and wait for them to contact you, leave it two days then call back, lather, rinse repeat until you get someone.

Let us know how you get on!

Thanks for the info, im just a rather in-patient person lol. I will hassle them if i don't hear from them. But i left all my details and now gotta wait for a call back, i hope it's this week.......???

Hopefully, but if you haven't heard from them by about 3pm tomorrow give them a call. They're more desperate to re-home cats than you are to get a new moggy so don't be worried about annoying them.

Yeh, i think i'll take your advice and call them tomorrow. But i do hate hassling people and that's what i feel i would be doing. The lady told me the man that will contact me works and so it may take a few days until i hear anything. I allready rang them twice today, the 2nd time was to give them my mobile number just in case they can't catch me at home. I'm really wanting to adopt this cat i have seen and cannot wait to get her into my home.

They do have a email address, shall i mail them aswell???

We adopted Scraps from the CPL, had a home visit a few days later (funnily enough the lady who saw us used to live in our house!!) and away we went! We got seen quite quickly, and are in Exeter.

Good on you for looking to adopt again, i'm so sorry about your little bundle, it's hearbreaking when you lose a loved animal xx

Yes, I'd e-mail. It's more convenient for some people. Hope you hear from them soon. Very good of you to give another cat a home too.

Thanks. Loved that cat to bits...she was soooooo special and totally harmless. But she won't be forgotten thats for sure lol.

When contact the CP about the cat you were after, did it take days for them to contact you back? I've seen the cat i'd like and i cant see any reason as to why the CP would say no, cause this cat tolerates other cats and i have 2 others.

I just wana hear from them soon. Thanks snowleopard, that's why i want another cat, to offer them a safe and loving place to live. I will email them, i just feel like i'm hassling them?? I've phoned and left details, would they be annoyed if i mailed them too????

They shouldn't be annoyed. Trouble is rescues are usually very busy. I'd just tell them you've e-mailed as well as it might be more convenient for them.

Sorry to hear of your loss. x

A lot of people who work for Cats protection also have full time jobs so it's important to be reasonably patient - they will definitely get back to you.

I adopted 2 cats in June. My own local branch (Watford) had no suitable cats for my needs (I already had a resident cat so it was important that the cats would get on, also I particularly wanted a female tabby after the recent death of my Tabitha) so I approached another branch (Hillingdon) who were really helpful. I first made an appointment to view the cats I was interested in - they were actually being kept in a cattery because the original fosterer had broken her leg - and then arranged for a home visit. This was a bit more awkward because I lived quite a way from the branch and I even asked my own branch if they could carry out the visit but, unfortunately, they refused on the grounds that they were too busy. In the end one of the Hillingdon branch members called in on me on her way home from work, she worked in Luton so it wasn't too far out of her way. I had to fill in quite a lot of paper work - adoption papers, insurance forms - and pay the CP donation fee of £50 per cat.

In my case, I didn't want to collect the cats straight away because I had an impending holiday but the cats were reserved for me and I picked them up the day after my return.
I had a few phone calls from CP in the next couple of weeks to check on the cats' well being and progress and also for details of name changes so that the microchip company could be informed - I was happy to reassure the callers that both cats had settled immediately into their new surroundings and were even exploring the garden within a few days of their arrival. Both get on very well with my older cat.

Good luck with your adoption. I was grief stricken after my Tabitha's death and still feel a bit depressed and lonesome but I love my 3 cats and they're giving me lots of comfort and pleasure.

Cheers for that info. I totally understand that they are very busy, i just don't want this cat to go to anyone else now ive seen her. Also being in-patient doesn't help at all. I've emailed them aswell so hopefully i will hear. I also get paranoid of the fact that they won't call back and that's why i'm trying to constantly contact them asking when and how long. I hope now that i have inquired about the cat, that she would 'be resevered' or something around those lines. Cause the lady on the phone never mentioned anything about another person/family looking into the cat.

My family and i are away all day Saturday so i would wait until after that day to bring her home. But i just wanna be sure that no one else gets her lol, i've set my sights on her and her character is something. I have 2 other female cats and this cat...Evangeline tolerates other cats. CP wouldn't say no to me cause Evangeline just tolerates other cats?????? Also it says would suit home with childern, but everyone in the house is over 18 so we're mature and what not. They wouldn't refuse on that????

The process is the agonising part lol. We wanted to adopt a cat from an RSPCA branch but they point blank refused us cause there is an on-going investigation into an act of cruelty on my cat Suschi (i created a thread about that, believe it's on the 2nd page now...maybe 3rd) and we were left stunned and bemused. They just refused and it wasn't pleasent at all.

The Hillingdon CP branch reserve cats once you express an interest, I thought that was the same for all branches

I'm sure your cat will be kept for you. They won't have a problem with there being no children in the house, most cats don't like children so it's unusual when they do! Some cats don't like other cats so they say on the website whether they can live with cats or not. I wasn't asked much about my Bernard though I did stress how much he missed Tabitha and he was on his best behaviour when the home visit was carried out, rolling on his back for tummy rubs from a complete stranger.

Sorry about the RSPCA. When I was looking to adopt I discovered that there is an RSPCA cattery just a couple of miles from where I live. I went to view a cat and had my home visit very quickly (the same day) but they wanted me to take the cat immediately even though I had a holiday coming up.

The RSPCA people didn't come across quite as kind and sympathetic as the CP personnel. I was still in crying mode at every discussion involving Tabitha eg when giving my reasons for taking on another cat. The RSPCA also kept reinforcing that their cats would likely have a lot of behavioural problems which did put me off a little bit because my main priority was my resident cat.

I know the RSPCA do a lot of good work. The hospital in Putney were brilliant when my uncle took his cat there. I just prefer Cats Protection and have been donating, through direct debit, for many years now.

I have always supported both Cats Protection and RSPCA as i am a huge lover of animals, mainly cats. I think it was this particular RSPCA branch that weren't very nice. When we wanted more details for this cat we saw on their site...this gilr told us she didn't know much and she couldn't get any details. So we asked to see someone who knew the cats and off she went. Next thing we know this officer comes back telling us no you cannot adopt the cat, reason being the on-going investigation. But before that he assumed we were the ones being accused of animal cruelty which left me and my family shocked and seething. I have no idea how they got that stupid idea and i think when we were talking to the young girl previously she had got her wires mixed up completely. Since that moment i didn't think the officer took to us very well or would do in the future and now they are telling us we cannot adopt from them...!!!! This all happened this morning and it's still got me seething and the way we were treated. There is no way on this earth i would allow an animal in my care and any animal for the fact to be harmed.

And then i went back to CP where i had previously seen this cat, what put us off is that with the RSPCA we were allowed to go down the very same day to look at the cats and the fact that most cats at CP are in foster homes whereas RSPCA don't have foster homes. We adopted a cat from CP but that was a while ago and we still have the cat to this very day, shes soooo vocal though lol. I'd love to put up a picture of my cats, how do i go about that???

I really want the CP to get in touch soon, i want Evangeline lol. But dunno is she has been reserved as such, but since the lady said nothing about anyone else being interested i believe we're the only ones at the moment therefore technically she;s under observation by us and no one will be able to view her......??

Sounds like you are having a rough time of it FCUK.

My experience could not have been more different. We have an RSPCA Rescue Centre very close to where we live and when we decided that enough time had elapsed since Oliver's death of old age (over 20) that was our first port of call. It did mean a lot of visits - we were keen for a young cat, but they are at a premium so it was a case of visiting 2-3 times a week. When finally we came across a 5 month old cat called Timmy who was abandoned I knew he could be part of our family. However, they do quite a lot of checking, both medical and ownership wise and so he was marked as "Under Investigation". But I just kept going back and visiting him and eventually they said although the period was not up yet, my name would be taken - a visit done and within a few days he came home.

I have nothing but praise for the way it was all handled and Bode (Bow Dee) as we re-named him, is now 3, healthy, loving, cheeky and a much loved member of our family.

I hope your story ends as happily as mine did.

I have nothing but praise or RSPCA, they help thousands of animals every year and i have nothing bad to say about them on THE WHOLE but that branch didn't seem to operate very well at all and end of the day i didn't care for those working there...i cared about that cats and being able to give them a safe, loving home. I've never really had much to do with RSPCA as all our cats either came from CP or other locat shelters. But as of late.....the current investigation going on in regards to cruelty to my cat, i've had not one phonec call from them since we reported the incident. This was 11th october and we were told we'd get a phone call in the next few days and an officer will visit us. No phone call, no visit. I have called them dozens of times by the operaters cannot do much and all they can do is pass messages on. That set of a bad tone and now with what happened at the branch i have slightly lost faith for them. But even still...i think of the animals in there care and so forth...and that's why i shall continue to support them.

Back topic now....last night around 8.30pm i recieved the phone call from CT and wheels are not being set in motion for us to adopt the cat, Evangeline. Now i have to wait to see wherever we'll have a home visit and 'telephone visit'. But sounds like Evangeline will be 'reserved' for me.

I work/volunteer for a local Cats Protection branch and I can only echo what others have said..

We are run entirely by volunteers - many of which also doing full time jobs. Right now, nationally, there is a HUGE volunteer shortage. We lose volunteers quicker than we can get replacements.. there simply aren't the people available for us to be able to answer phone-calls and emails quickly.

Local branches are entirely self-funded. Sure we get grants, IT equipment allowances etc. but most of our money is raised entirely within the area/branch and volunteers spend many cold and wet Saturday's collecting outside supermarkets and high streets.

Our coordinator and the lady who answers our emails are regularly subject to abuse from members of the public due to perceived lateness of reply. Our poor coordinator virtually dedicates her whole life and house to the cause and she gets very little in the way of appreciation or 'job satisfaction' due to such an immense and grinding work load.

If she left right now the whole branch would fold. We are always operating understaffed, on a shoe-string budget and with an ever increasing work load.

Because of the above reasons though I can more than appreciate and understand why it may not look as if we do everything we can.

But please do persevere with your intended adoption It makes us all as volunteers VERY happy when a cat is adopted. As long as you aren't rude or aggressive we appreciate people calling us a few times as we have so much to remember and so many enquiries to reply too some things do slip through the net.

And the RSPCA are crap and ruined by red-tape and what seems like general institutional complacency. They want to be the animal police and from what I can see only have a limited desire to actually help animals. It's exceptionally annoying to know they have more legal powers, money, staff, brand power and resources than us, but seemingly do far less. PDSA and Blue Cross on the other hand are our friends We even got one job from the police which the RSPCA had actually had the cheek to turn down! So naturally it was passed to us, a group of over-stretched poor volunteers.

NB: The above is only personal opinion, not that of CP

Well, Hypnodisc, 10/10 to you and the other local volunteers for being of service to other living beings. It is a pity that this charity, along with others that undertake good practical works, cannot obtain more funding/help from the National Lottery, etc.

Cats Protection do great work but they have so many restrictions that people can't be bothered with them.

I live near a main road even though it is in a cul de sac where I live, yet alas, I am not allowed to home a cat via CP which is ridiculous because surely most people live near a main road?

I've never lived near a main road I know it's frustrating but there has to be some criteria because the volunteers have a responsibility to home the cats safely and in their best interests. CP refused to let me adopt a kitten 16 years ago because I lived in a flat and worked full time. I was cross at the time but procured my Tabitha from a private ad and fitted 2 cat flaps so that my cat had the freedom to go out of the flat as she wished (it was a very quiet area, a cat's paradise).

I didn't bear any grudges against CP, I think they do a great job and were so lovely to me during my most recent adoption process. My only gripe is that I already have a direct debit arrangement but I get regular further pleas for more donations with leaflets detailing heart rending stories of cats in need. I wish they would not target people who already donate.

How close are you to the main road though?

99% of the time, if someone lives in a cul-de-sac we would be able to re-home the cat there.

If you look at it from our point of view though how could we ever knowingly home a cat somewhere where it could easily get injured? I've had someone asking why they couldn't have a cat and they lived on the A40! Re-homed cats can be more confused by their new surroundings - especially seeing as quite a few come from traumatic past homes.

The best place for them simply isn't on a main road. The moment they are let out for the first time they could easily get killed before they have any chance to orientate to their surroundings.

The restrictions are the reason so many people are still able to sell/give away kittens and people will take them

On my local selling page on face book there are always kittens and puppies cats and dogs for sale or free, when some people complain others say well ive been turned down for a rescue one because I live near a road or I live in a flat or im at work etc
they cant sell /give them away fast enough and that's just one page on face book,. there are 1000s of such pages I belong to 5 or 6 of them and only one wont let animals be advertised. there is also a page just for animals. Thats just a few from my area , every area is probably the same

I totally underdtand CP are hugely understaffed and it can take a few days for a response. I have nothing but praise for CP and have supported them for many years. I've had another phone call from a lady who overseas 'home visits' but since i am in Bedford and the cat and branch we're adopting from are in Welligborough/Rushden they are unable to do a home visit nor could the Bedford branch simpy becauce they are understaff. I am really thinking of volunteering for CP.

I made the 1st step on Wednesday regarding Evangeline, since then i have had 2 calls giving me the go ahead to being able to adopt her and now i am waiting for the fosterer to contact me. So in the space of 48hrs CP have made contact with me and wheels are beng set in motiong, and for them to be understaff i certainly applaud them for their speedy response. They are very kind people and are doing their best to get back to you soon and i am very gratefully that the process has now begun. Me, being an in-patient person in practically everything doesn't help however lol, but end of day their doing their best and thats all they can do and we (those waiting for responses) must respect them enough to wait.

Now i assume anyone that enquires about the cat should surely be told that she's in the process of being adopted by another family, cause she's still on the site being labled as 'avaliable'??? How longs does it take for the fosterer's looking after the cat to contact you???? I will never at any time sound rude or aggressive towards those working with CP, i have only praise for them. Last night i was told by a lady that she will contact the fosteres asap and she will then contact me. It's only afternoon now so i shall wait until this evening say around 7.30pm, if not heard anything would it be ok to contact the branch? I fear that i'll come across as in-patient, even though i am i don''t wanna sound like i am hassling them...

I would just calm down and keep saying to myself, she is not mine till she is here, someone else could have been through the all the checks and ask for her or they might decide you are not the right owner for her ( not saying you are not) but you need to keep these things in your mind and try and relax as even if you dont get her you will get a lovely cat. Good luck fingers crossed

Well if someone was in the process of going through checks, then when i enquired about the cat...the lady at the branch would have told me that right now Evangeline is in the process of being potentially adopted by another family. Nothing like that was said and both phonecalls ive had ive been told they can't see any reasons why we cannot adopt Evangeline. Besides, we've adopted beofer from them and we've still got that cat to this day. Surely that would be a positive notch for us. I pride myself and my family that any cat that comes to us will be treated like royalty. Loved and being safe!

What I mean was someone could have already gone through the checks but the cat they wanted wasn't suitable for them , so they would just need to find the right cat. I didnt say anything about you not being a good owner just that not all cats are suited to all people or homes.

I had a cat that totally changed personalty when I brought home two kittens even after a few months she would not take to them, so in the end I had to decide her or the two little ones, I knew the little ones had a better chance of finding a home than her , so had to let them go

Its just you seem very over excited and could be heading for a disappointment so always better to be prepared.